Two rum cocktails and a cigar for breakfast will make anyone a bit woozy. Right?
Viñales is a wonderful small town situated in the Valley of Viñales/Pinar del Rio province - a lush landscape full of tobacco and coffee fields and curious steep-sided vegetated hills called mogotes that resemble the Land Before Time. We fully expected to see a Long Neck lumbering through the valley.
The main streets of the village are lined with shops, bars, and restaurant after restaurant. You will not starve or go thirsty here. Nor will you have any trouble finding a room. If you haven’t pre-booked your casa, just walk the back streets into the residential areas – nearly every house has a room to rent.
There are good hiking trails, horseback tours and other excursions to be had. You can arrange these ahead of time or through your casa/Airbnb host upon arrival.
Upon arrival, we found our casa and a leisurely lunch off the main drag. We then wandered around a bit. Covering the entirety of the main drag in Viñales doesn’t take long- even at a snail’s pace or stopping to watch about 50 or 60 kids climb up into the back of a large dump truck to get to school.
We then wandered around a bit and decided to do a self-guided hike to the Cueva de la Vaca, (Cow Cave) located a mile or so north of town. The trail takes you directly through an enterprising farmer’s property turned into an oasis of mojitos, hammocks for a nap and a souvenir or two. A climb over a fence and the trail split left and right. Like a couple of lunatics just out of the asylum, we went left, then right, to no avail. But by going straight, we discovered the true path where there wasn't much of a path at all and we quickly arrived at a short climb to the cave. The "cave" is actually a tunnel through one of the mogotes, and on the other side, it opens into the beautiful valley as green as any other. Descend the path and enjoy the lovely valley.
On the return trip, still fresh out of the asylum, we took a slightly different path and ended up smack in the middle of a farm with a couple of bulls smack in the middle of the trail. There was a farmer with the bulls who motioned us to go around on a separate trail on which, we were soon to discover, had been built a refreshment stand right smack in the middle of that. Having saved us from the bulls he’d tied up on the other path the farmer returned and suggested we stop in for a refresco. We weren’t particularly thirsty though, being Minnesota nice and all, felt compelled to oblige as we were on their land. So, we had a couple of mojitos, we think, or maybe lemonade, though that seems doubtful.
As we enjoyed our drinks several other members of the family came to give us the once or twice over. There was an uncle or two, a grandmother who had missed too many parties and the look of having lived with hard men for too many years; a couple of grandchildren, and an adult son who spent most of his time circling the cabana swatting at flies and scowling. They all wore large knives strapped to their hips. The six-year-old girl wore two. They offered us a room for the night. They offered to take us on a horseback tour. They offered a tour of their tobacco plantation and a chance to learn how cigars and their local rum and honey are made. Been there and done that. Doing it again tomorrow. They assured us they would give us a better price, swatting away at our original booking. “That’s the problem with paying ahead…you don’t get the best price”. Perhaps, and after agreeing we were no more than dumb tourists, we left, looking over our shoulder and making our way down the trail past clusters of small houses back to our casa to shower and rest before finding our dinner.
That night, having eaten mostly pork, rice, and beans for our meals the previous days, we opted to try an Italian pasta joint near the main plaza in Viñales. It was a welcome change and we enjoyed our meal. After, we walked the streets a bit more, hung out at the plaza listening to music and watch the goings-on of people passing by before heading back to our casa and slept until we woke.
The following day we went on a small group horseback ride through the valley with a nice couple from Florida, with a stop at a local tobacco and coffee plantation. The horseback riding was fine, our horses were gentle and knew the trail well, our guide patient and mostly silent but for shouted commands to whichever horse was in the lead – usually Roxanne’s. The horses only took off running once in a while.
About 45 minutes into the trip we arrived at the tobacco farm (Plantación Buena Vista) and had a great time learning more about the production of tobacco, rum, honey, and coffee. Our guide, Rafael, was knowledgeable, entertaining and a lot of fun - speaking at length on diverse subjects such as history, Mel Gibson, genetics, music, inter-personal relationships, Canelo Alvarez, and eventually, tobacco, rum and all that jazz (If you are interested in visiting Viñales – contact Rafael. He can help you with nearly anything. Message us for his contact information). Neither one of are smokers and to date, we’ve each only smoked two cigars in our lives if you don’t count Roxanne’s questionable experimentation with Swisher Sweets in college. That explains why after a couple of Cancháncharras for breakfast and half-way through his Cohiba for lunch, Kevin was feeling a little other-worldly. It’s a good thing we were able to walk a bit of that off before getting back on the horse.
Apart from learning about rum and tobacco production, we learned that the government takes 90% of the annual tobacco harvest and leaves the farmers with just 10% of what they’ve grown. While the farmers use a traditional organic drying, fermentation and hand-rolling process that takes some time, the government speeds things up by adding chemicals to the tobacco and machinery to press and roll the cigars. These are then sold at a significant mark-up in state-run shops. The government also takes 70% of the coffee harvest. Same deal. It’s far better to buy your cigars and coffee direct from the farmers!
Viñales also makes a distinct type of rum. It is called Guayabita del Pinar and is made from the tiny guayabita fruit (very small guavas) instead of the usual sugar cane. It’s tasty, almost like a liqueur. You can drink it straight or mixed in a cocktail. What’s not to like? Places such as Plantación Buena Vista are great places to spend some time, and more importantly your money. Buy the cigars – buy the coffee, buy the honey. Don’t smoke? Give them away to friends, family, work colleagues. It’s all local, organic produce and less expensive than anywhere else. You can barter for a lower price if you want to, but why? The couple of dollars you’ll save is fairly meaningless to you but makes a huge difference to the farmers and the local economy. You’re traveling in support of the Cuban people, so why not support them?
How to Get There:
You can get there by bus – but you can also arrange for a taxi to take you.
From Havana to Viñales: 25 cucs each person (shared with 3 other riders) arranged through our Airbnb host. The return trip was 20 cucs each arranged with the driver with a 10 cucs deposit. The trip takes about 2.5 hours. Our trip to Viñales from Havana was uneventful. We departed Havana early, say 7:30 and arrived in Viñales by 11:00 in our 1952 Plymouth with bench seats-- 3 in front and 3 in back. Its lack of shocks allowed us each to log a good 10,000 steps on the journey via Fitbit without walking a step. Before reaching Viñales, our driver pulled into a tobacco plantation, so we got an unexpected tour, sampled some rum, and cigars before completing the trip into town.
On our return trip to Havana, however, our taxi was having engine troubles. After picking up the last passenger in Vinales, the engine didn't start. Our driver fixed the issue but the car continued to sputter and stall as we left town. It finally broke down for good about 1/3 of the way to Havana and we spent a couple of hours on the side of the road while the taxi driver attempted to repair the carburetor. Many other taxis pulled over and stopped to see if they could help. The drivers look out for one another because they know it could be them on the side of the road soon. This is what happens when everyone is driving a 60 or 70-year-old car. In the end, our driver wasn’t able to fix his vehicle and called another driver to pick us up and bring us into Havana, leaving our original driver by the side of the to work out what he would do with his car – perhaps get a tow but in what direction? We gave him one of our “in case we’re hungry” protein bars we’d brought with us as he hadn’t eaten yet that day and chalked the experience up to "when in Cuba, you will likely be in a car that breaks down"experience.
Check out our other Cuba posts:
Tobacco: (This is going to get long folks - if you don't want to know anything about tobacco or cigar production, skip the rest of this post)
Cuba grows some of the best tobacco in the world, or so we are told – due to its climate and the high iron content of the soil, and within Cuba, the area around Vinales and Pinar del Rio hosts the best region for growing tobacco for cigars in Cuba. Tobacco for premium cigars is a single yearly crop. From soil preparation and seeding to harvest is about 9 months. Planting usually begins in September or October each year. The tobacco plants are comprised of 4 types of leaves; the voldado – the lowest leaves are the lightest in flavor, the seco – the middle leaves are of medium flavor, the ligero – the upper leaves are stronger in flavor, and the corona – the crown leaves are full-flavored and used only in premium cigars such as the Cohiba.
At the farm, after harvest (as early as January, more likely February and sometimes March), the leaves are dried and cured according to type in special open-air drying houses call secadoras. Drying and curing take another 50-60 days – wrapper leaves are dried separately from the filler leaves. The filler leaves are dried in the sun for a week before and after being air-dried in the secadoras.
After drying, the leaves are sorted, stripped and fermented. The lighter colored wrappers are moistened and then rested for two weeks before being bundled and baled. The filler leaves are stripped of their center veins, stacked into piles and then fermented, either by stacking or kiln fermenting. The fermentation process releases ammonia, tar, and nicotine from the leaves and gives them a lighter and sweeter taste. A fermenting solution (containing a mixture of water, honey, rum, fruit juices, etc.) may be sprayed onto the leaves before and during this process. The stacks are torn down and rebuilt several times to monitor and control temperature over a 4 to 6 week period.
After fermentation, the leaves are sorted, stripped of their stems and aged. Aging time varies between 1 year and 3 or more depending on the type of leaf. Wrappers may be aged as long as 5 years.
After all that, it’s time to blend the filler leaves depending on type. Milder cigars are made from mostly voldado leaves, medium-strength cigars mostly seco and full-flavored cigars will be made from all leaf types but contain more ligero. While the size of the cigar doesn’t indicate strength, small gauge cigars don’t include any ligero leaves. They are blended and grouped into piles according to the type of cigar the rollers will be making. We saw no virgins rolling cigars on their thighs. The two rollers we chatted with said they could make about 8 cigars an hour.
The cigar rollers take the piles given them, fold and align the leaves, arranging the lighter flavored leaves at the ends with the stronger, slower-burning leaves in the center of the binder leaf. The bunch is then rolled into a binder leaf, shaped, cut and pressed into a mold to set. After shaping, the cigar is wrapped, starting at the cigar’s foot. The cap is shouldered, fitted and then cut to length. A natural adhesive that may or may not contain honey helps to seal the wrapper.
That’s how it’s done down on the farm. We don’t know how it’s done in the government-run factories, but we can tell you the farmers won’t smoke those.
Where to Buy Cuban Cigars.
Well. You can’t buy them here in the US, kiddos. You can find them in other countries if you live or travel there but we’re guessing you’re going to Cuba. Buy them in Cuba.
The best place to buy cigars is direct from the farmers in Viñales. The cigars are of the highest quality and are less expensive than if you buy them elsewhere. We regret not buying more than the few we did. If you must buy them in a store then try the cigar store on the main street in town. Address below.
Know this. The government takes 90% of all the tobacco grown and leaves the farmers with just 10% of their product. The government adds chemicals to the tobacco to speed up the fermentation process and sells it at a huge mark-up in state-run shops. The government also takes 70% of the coffee harvest. Same deal. It’s far better to buy your cigars and coffee direct from the farmers! The cigars you buy from the farmer will be loose, unbanded, grouped and tied in a banana leaf, 10 to 40 in a bundle. The rum will be bottled and labeled Guayabita de Pinar del Rio, the coffee and honey packaged in recycled plastic water bottles. The coffee is light and sweet, the honey unfiltered and may contain bits of protein and other elements of the outdoors.
Cigar Store in Viñales: (Again, buy your cigars from the farmers if you can)
· Los Vegueros – Tienda en Tabaco 57 Salvado Cisneros (right on the main drag, across the street from Plaza Mayor)
If you can’t make it to Viñales, here are a few stores in Havana that are recommended. Do NOT buy cigars on the street. They will most certainly be inferior cigars, re-branded and ringed and made to look like high-quality cigars. They aren’t. The cigars from reputable stores will be banded, boxed and sealed. Keep the receipt for any box and sealed cigars you purchase. You won’t need on for loose cigars.
Cigar Stores in Havana:
· La Casa del Ron y del Tabaco -Obispo No, 2
· La Casa del Habano 207 Mercaderes
· Tienda del Habano 120 Mercaderes
· Tienda de Habanos 53 Oficicos
· Fabrica de Tabaco Partagas 416 Industria – right behind the capitol
· Romeo y Julieta Cigar Factory, Central Havana, Padre Varela y Penlaver
· Modern Partagas Cigar Factory San Carlos y Penlaver Central Havana
· La Casa del Habano 5th Ave and 16th St in Miramar
Many of the higher end hotels such as Hotel Nacional, Hotel Paco, Hotel Melia Cohiba, and Hotel Habana Libre, will have cigars available for purchase in their lobbies. But why bother, you already bought your cigars for less from the farmers in Viñales, right?
Bringing Back Alcohol and Tobacco from Cuba
This is covered in our Top Tips for a Smooth Trip post but it bears repeating here. Chances are you’ve enjoyed at least one mojito (or cuba libre or cubata or cancháncharra) and a cigar during your trip and you’d like to bring some of that Cuban flavor back home with you. Every country is different so check the requirements for your country. For US travelers the requirements are here. Check for updates before your trip. Things change.
If you are over the age of 21, you are allowed to bring back 5 liters per person if the alcohol content is between 24 and 70 percent (48 to 140 proof). Anything more than that will be taxed by customs.
The US allows you to bring in up to 100 cigars (up to $800 worth) per person duty-free. Twenty of those cigars can be loose and un-banded. The rest need to be banded and in sealed boxes – and keep your receipt of purchase for those in boxes. You can bring more than that if you want to pay taxes on them.
Top Tip: If you purchase rum or other alcohol at the duty-free shop at the airport in Havana – make sure to pack it in your checked luggage. You can bring it as a carry-on when you depart Havana, but it will be confiscated from you if you attempt to board your airplane with it in your carry-on luggage after passing customs in the US. The prices in the airport are no cheaper than the prices you will find all over Cuba, so you might consider purchasing your rum on one of your final days in town and just putting it into your checked baggage and avoid the hassle. You can avoid the worry of the bottles leaking by bringing a couple of 2 gallon-sized ziplock bags with you and placing your bottles inside and surrounded by clothing items to cushion the bottle(s).
Check out our other Cuba posts:
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